The study found dioxin contamination in dust and soils did not result in increased levels of dioxin in participants' blood. Ingesting meat and animal products, such as eggs and milk from animals raised in dioxin-contaminated areas, did increase the dioxin body-burden.

Garabrant, now a professor emeritus at the Ann Arbor university, continues to defend the information gathered in the study despite scrutiny from local environmentalist groups and the state Department of Environmental Quality, whose officials indicated the results wouldn’t affect dioxin cleanup efforts.

Dr. David Garabrant

One of the criticisms of the study included its omission of children from the research. Garabrant has said the study left out children because it is difficult to obtain the large blood samples required to test toddlers for dioxin, given that their dioxin levels typically are very low.

He said, since the initial results were unveiled, a similar study in Japan included children, and revealed the same conclusions generated by the U-M research.

“The scientific community has looked at everything we’ve done and said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’” Garabrant said. “It’s been widely endorsed by the scientific community.